UGM and University of Helsinki Organise InSME1

UGM dan University of Helsinki selenggarakan InSME1

UGM dan University of Helsinki selenggarakan InSME1

Universitas Gadjah Mada in collaboration with University of Helsinki organised the First Indonesian Symposium on Microbial Ecology (InSME1) 2018 from 7-8 November 2018.

The symposium was organised to promote studies in microbial ecology in Indonesia and to enhance identification of antibiotic resistance as one of environmental pollutions in Indonesia.

“The aim of the seminar is to improve awareness and understanding about antibiotic resistance, particularly in Indonesia through public communication and education that target the audience to avoid the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance,” said Head of UGM's Centre of Environment Studies, Ir. Subaryono, MA., Ph.D.

The symposium was divided into 3 sessions consisting of keynote speech and panel discussions given by experts from the USA, Finland, Japan, and Indonesia. Subaryono said the symposium became the forum for researchers to share views and experience as well as enrich research. “Hopefully, the Indonesian researchers get better in developing research in this discipline,” he added.

James M. Tiedje, researcher from Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, in a keynote speech explained microbial ecology that centred on understanding of microbial types that form a community, physiology and biochemistry that support their lives, how they respond to the environment and the process when they influence local and global environment.

“Microbial ecology is a discipline built from existing disciplines such as microbiology, biochemistry, ecology, molecular biology, and sciences that give habitat knowledge on where the microbes live,” he said.

The topic discussed in the InSME 2018 covered opportunities and challenges facing microbial ecology in Indonesia, environmental dimension of antibiotic resistance and the formation of microbial ecology community in Indonesia.